Do You Like Blue?
by gold.paperclips
Summary: [Complete] TezukaOC. [Chapter 8] The team flies over to Germany to visit Tezuka in rehabilitation.
1. Goodbye

Disclaimer: The Prince of Tennis does not belong to me.

_The airport. It was a place where people met and parted, a place where people rejoiced and wept, a place where people were brought to meet their dreams, a place where memories were truly treasured._

"I like blue."

"Hn."

She fingered her scarf unconsciously. Above them the speakers blared its electronic message, "Flight SQ825 last call for boarding, Last call for boarding…"

_He wasn't very good at expressing his feelings._

_She knew he loved her._

_She always had a small smile on her face._

_He could see her sorrow in her eyes._

"Oh well. I guess I've got to go." With a tiny smile, she pulled the handle of her luggage. She proceeded to leave and gazed into his eyes.

"Have a safe trip." He said, almost in a commanding manner.

"Yes Sir!" She said jokingly, bringing her hand to her forehead and back down again.

She trudged onward. Just as she passed through the gates, she glanced back at him. His eyes were full of intent, watching her.

The message was clear.

_I love you. _

fin.

Notes:

Inspired by "Do you like blue?" in KANK.

Hope it wasn't too mushy.

Reviews would be helpful.


	2. Suspicion

Disclaimer: The Prince of Tennis does not belong to me.

She opened her eyes. She blinked. She sat up on her bed and turned to face the calendar.

17th September.

_What a nice day_, she thought to herself.

Slipping into her bedroom slippers, she walked to her desk and lifted a picture frame. Inside was her smiling sweetly, and another teenager with deep brown eyes and a straight face. Gazing at it lovingly, she smiled sadly.

_It's been three months since I left Japan_

_Three months since I last saw him._

_It's been a year since I first celebrated my birthday with him_

_I wonder if he even remembers now. _

------------------------------------

"Hirose wins, 6-2!"

Panting heavily, she stumbled up to shake the hand of her opponent. Walking back to the bench, her coach stared sternly at her.

"What were you doing out there? If you had not concentrated at the last minute, you would have lost! What's wrong with you today?"

Paying no attention to what he had said, she picked up her bag and left the courts. Furious shouts of "Hirose Rae!" sounded so distant to her.

-------------------------------------

Back in the privacy of her own room, she buried her face in her hands.

_How could I be so careless_

_How could I let him affect me_

_He wouldn't be happy to see me like this ……_

_Would he even bother?_

Her mobile flashed brightly in the darkness, causing her to jump in surprise. Picking it up gingerly, a thought flashed in her mind. _Could it be him?_

She pressed a button. 'Tezuka Kunimitsu' came up on the screen. Her heart skipped a beat. She picked up the call. _He remembers?_

"Good evening Rae."

"Hello Tezuka."

"Congratulations on getting into the finals of the under-18 category in the national tournament. Don't let your guard down. "

"Oh …… thank you. I will, don't worry." Her heart sank. _That's it?_

"Tezuka?"

"Hn."

"Isn't it my birthday today?"

Silence.

"Isn't it tomorrow?" Tezuka slowly questioned.

And it dawned upon her. Japan was one day slower! She smiled to herself. _So he hasn't forgotten ……_

"Rae?"

"Nothing!" Glancing at her watch, she quickly continued, "Shouldn't you be on your way to school now? Hurry, or else you'll be late!"

"Hn. Goodbye then."

"Goodbye!"

------------------------------

Across the globe, Tezuka put down the phone.

"What's with the slight redness on your cheeks Tezuka?" A serene voice sounded close to his ear.

Startled, Tezuka flinched slightly. Readjusting his spectacles, he addressed the owner of the voice.

"Fuji."

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." Grinning widely, Fuji half-skipped back to class.

Tezuka closed his eyes and frowned. He was not going to have a peaceful tennis practice today.

fin.

Notes:

Time difference changed to fit this story.

Reviews would be helpful.


	3. Meaning

Disclaimer: PoT does not belong to me. Though I really wish Othori Choutarou was real (and mine).

A big thank you for all who reviewed!

Beta: **mysticLegend11**

* * *

(Words in italics refer to her dream.) 

_It was black and white. _

She writhed and tossed in bed, her face contorting pain.

_She saw herself small in a chiffon dress, running towards a__ woman on a bench__. The__ woman turned to face her, rage__ painted across her face. Pointing a__ menacing__ finger at her, the woman cried, "I should have left you to die!" _

She gripped the bed sheets in fear.

_She saw herself staring down at a man who was carrying her. __She saw herself __hitting __a __yellow projectile with furious might__. She saw herself having a verbal argument with __a young boy with a cap__, and vaguely wondered why __he was in__ colour_

Her grip loosened.

_The boy vanished. The concrete buildings around started to melt into a __grotesque__ mess of glass, wood and steel. __Black engulfed everything. "__You will do as I say__!" a __dismembered __voice bellowed. "__You live because __of __me__! So I decide what you do with __your__ life!__" Two giant hands swooped out from the grey darkness._

She jolted out of her sleep, panting heavily. She huddled the sheets close around her. Her mind crafted a seemingly gentle face of well-groomed features. Brown locks fell about his face, and his eyes shone with hopeless desperation.

_You gave me hope and taught me the one thing that I now love so much. However, you also gave me despair, disappointment and when you left, you didn't forget to take away the only reason I had for living. _

"Tennis……" She whispered.

* * *

The fan blades rotated monotonously above the drooping heads of several students. It gave rhythm to the wizened teacher's dreary lullaby as he droned on incessantly. "Between 1939 and 1945, several massacres of other races, mainly the Jews, were held. Besides being gassed to death, many died from starvation and disease-" 

" -Working as slave labourers. The Holocaust also led to the coining of the word 'genocide'." Tezuka continued in his mind, whilst scanning the mass of words in his History textbook. Being the studious and respectful student he was, he already read the chapter before and steeled himself into staying awake or at least having an attentive front. Scrutinizing the dull picture at the bottom-right-hand corner of the page, he saw small print in very neat handwriting.

_I seriously wonder how you ace this subject. You actually like this? _

The corners of his lips tugged upwards. A mental image formed in his mind. Long, straight hair tied back in a ponytail, loose hairs hanging by the side of her face enhanced her sorrowful eyes and small smile, two features which had left a deep impression on him.

* * *

_"I felt so fortunate," She whispered, her back facing him. "He raised me, brought me to see different places and taught me tennis. He felt like a real parent, one who doted so much on me. I thought we would be so happy together."_

_She clenched her hands into fists. Her voice started to waver._

_"It was all a façade, an act. All he wanted was someone who had the potential of becoming a tennis pro and would be able to face his rival's son on an international stage. I had only one purpose, and it was to beat his rival's son. How I wish I could remain oblivious to this truth."_

_Sounds of a creaking chair being dragged across the floor were heard, followed by a soft thud as she collapsed onto the chair. Her eyes shimmered._

_"I shouldn't be feeling pity. He didn't love me."_

_"You loved him," Tezuka thought._

_"He's in jail; he deserved it. But he…he…"_

_Tezuka placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and squeezed slightly._

_"It's alright to cry."_

_A tear fell, glistening before it vanished on her skirt. More followed soon after._

_"He didn't deserve to die……"_

* * *

The school bell –or more appropriately, the wake-up call– resounded through the school building, breaking his train of thought. Many heads bobbed upwards; some even let out a lethargic yawn. 

"Now class, please revise what we went through today. There will be a test on this next Monday."

Groans were the immediate response from his audience, followed by quiet mutterings and the shuffling of pages as they grudgingly searched for the content they had missed.

Shutting his textbook, he looked up to see Fuji beckoning to him from the front door.

"Saa Tezuka, could I borrow a dictionary?" Fuji asked, eyes closed.

"Hn. Wait a moment, I'll go get it." _He's smiling more than usual, Fuji noticed._

Fuji followed him in small slow steps. He glanced around his class, then settled his gaze at Tezuka's shiny cell phone. Spying a colourful corner of a neoprint on the underside, he reached out for it quietly – only to place his hand on the wooden surface of the table. Tezuka had slipped the phone out of his reach and into his pocket.

"You've not received _any_ calls lately?"

"Is that of any importance to you?"

"Well, if it concerns the well-being of our pillar of support, then I guess it should."

Tezuka raised a questioning eyebrow. His hand moved swiftly to open his desk drawer.

"Well," Fuji paused momentarily, putting a finger to his chin as he did so. "I am—I mean we are still worried about that redness on your face. It seems that it appears everytime you converse with a certain _someone_ on the phone."

"And several attempts of tailing didn't help solve anything, didn't it?" Tezuka replied.

"Oh. You noticed?" Fuji smiled innocently. _How expected of you._

Handing over a thick dictionary with worn pages to Fuji, Tezuka calmly replied, "Don't let your guard down. This is the second time within the week."

His phone vibrated silently in his pocket. Taking it out, flipping it open and inspecting the message that he had received, he almost smiled in sheer amusement.

_I can't believe it. There's wasabi-__coloured __eyeshadow__. What if someone ate it by accident?_

For once, he failed to notice a smile on Fuji's face as Fuji beamed over his shoulder.

When Tezuka turned around, Fuji had already slipped out of sight.

fin.

Notes:

Writer's block.

I tried a new syle of writing. Hope it isn't too confusing.

More of her background will be revealed in later chapters.

Most of the later chapters will focus on flashbacks (how they met, tennis matches etc.) so please bear with me if it gets confusing.

Edited: 08/08/07

Reviews would be helpful.


	4. Yearning

Disclaimer: PoT / TnO does not belong to me.

Thank you to all who reviewed!

_Italics_ are mostly thoughts, though also used for extra emphasis.

Beta: **mysticLegend11**

* * *

France was a beautiful country. The concrete buildings had an air of sophistication around them; they were so ancient that Rae often wondered about the stories that had happened in them. Rain was usually associated with sad feelings. But in France, not even the worse storms could dampen the cheer of its people. Yet the rain continued its fierce battle as it splashed hard on the glass windows and pebble-studded streets. 

Inside the comfort and safety of a shopping mall, Rae lazily scanned the wide array of shops from the full-length windows of New York (1). For a sportswoman like her, she had an unusual hobby: collecting eye shadows.

She boasted a pretty collection of 25 colours, ranging from the almost invisible skin colours to colours with special effects such as a metallic sheen. She enjoyed the various possibilities of mix-n-match and creativity, a concept that initially drew her to her first love – tennis.

She shut her eyes as her mind filled with images of yellow tennis balls and the grey clay courts. She was filled with immense satisfaction when she recalled the times she had formulated and mastered her signature moves. She remembered the shock on her coach's face when he saw that potential; now that was hilarious. He looked as if he had found the greatest thing on Earth; that was until he saw her grades.

She vaguely recalled the principal's message before she had left:

_Do remember, if you cannot pass your mid-term Math paper, you will be banned from participating in anymore tournaments. Your scholarship to study Language in Hyotei will also be at stake. I sincerely wish you good luck for the tournament._

The underlying message: Fail Math, and you will be kicked back to wherever you came from, no questions asked.

"Enough of reminiscing," Rae thought. "It's time to get ready for the finals."

* * *

"Let's hope that the rain will stop in time for the finals," a male voice said worriedly. "A wet court is going to be very disadvantageous." 

"Well, it's going to be a disadvantage to both sides, won't it?" Rae replied cheerily, stretching back and forth. She raised her arms above her head and reached for the sky. A light jog on the spot followed soon after.

"No," Her coach answered sternly. "You do know that Linzt already has an advantage over you from the start."

"Yeah, I do."

* * *

"Linzt Ferda is a powerhouse, a major one in fact. She is an aggressive baseliner, with heavy balls being her specialty. She also has a lot of stamina, which Hirose seems to lack. She has quite a violent play style, similar to Kirihara's," Inui rattled off, with the scratchy sound of pencil lead in the background. 

"Since when did you get so interested in female tennis?" Oishi cut in, intrigued. "I thought Inui only has information on male tennis."

"Yes, but Fujiko-chan (2) here says that Tezuka's girlfriend might be a tennis player!" Eiji replied happily, with a little bounce in his voice. "He says that this Hirose girl looks like the girl on the neo print on his cell phone!"

"He has a _neo print_ on his cell phone?" Oishi asked, flabbergasted.

"It was on the underside on his phone, but I managed to sneak a peek. Saa, the photo must be pretty important for Tezuka to not take it off. " Fuji said breezily. _Not only that, Rae was the name he mentioned once or twice on his mysterious conversations……_

"Or it could just be courtesy, since it would be rude to take it off if the girl had pasted it there." Kawamura said meekly, joining in the conversation.

"There's a 85.9 chance that the girl is important; a 55.2 that Tezuka let her paste it on his cell phone; a 32.6 chance that Tezuka went to a neo print machine willingly……" Inui scribbled furiously in his notebook, his glasses glinting evilly in the light.

"So, if we go according to what Inui says then Hirose has a slim chance of winning, doesn't she?" Fuji piped up. "It's rare to have a female powerhouse."

"Not exactly," Inui looked up from his notebook. "She may not last for long matches, but she is definitely more intelligent and light-footed than Linzt. She may win if her skills are better than Linzt. But I currently do not have much on her – she seems to be a beginner at tournaments –"

"The Countdown," Another voice piped up. The seniors turned to look at the much smaller boy with much interest. Echizen Ryoma looked up at them from where he sat and said, "She's part of The Countdown."

"What's The Countdown? Hirose Rae?" Fuji asked.

"She was pretty famous when I was still living in New York. She was the best player of the group of young tennis players trained by some weird guy. They had this habit of counting down the minutes they had before they won. But they disappeared after a while, and the whole ruckus about her and the team just died away." Echizen replied, loosening his shoelaces only to tie them back tighter.

"Why did she disappear if she was doing so well, nya?" Kikumaru asked, crashing down on him to swing his arms around Echizen's neck. Echizen jolted slightly from the impact.

"I don't know," Echizen said through gritted teeth. "I think she lost a match or something. Now get off me, senpai (3), you're heavy. Do your warm ups." Echizen struggled to release himself from the death grip Kikumaru had on him, but failed miserably.

"Interesting, did you face off with any of them, Echizen?" Inui cut in, momentarily stopping the two in their tracks – only to be stopped from any further conversation by Tezuka.

"Regulars, 20 laps for incessant talking during warm ups. Now." Tezuka commanded, standing up to run the laps as well.

Moans could be heard for the two innocent second-year regulars who were wondering why they had gotten punished because they were only guilty of listening to the conversation.

_"How did he manage to see the neo print?" Tezuka thought to himself. "I must not let my guard down."_

He looked up into the sky. He could see blue for miles without a cloud in sight. A breeze ruffled his brown hair.

_"I hope she's fine."_

"Yeah I do," Rae smiled. "But I have a triumph card."

She looked up at her opponent. With broad shoulders and an almost menacing frame, Linzt stood tall at 1.75 metres, lips curving in an uncharacteristic smile.

"Hey," her voice boomed. "Let's give the audience a good match, shall we?"

"Not _just_ good," Rae replied while shaking her hand. "We'll give them the match of the century."

Linzt laughed heartily. "But I'm not gonna go easy on ya."

"Neither will I." Rae's voice was filled with resolve.

* * *

The ball went high in the air. Linzt jumped up. Rae ran forward to receive the ball – only to see Linzt do a half-turn in mid-air and turn her smash into a drop-shot onto Rae's court. 

"Game! Linzt, 2 games to 0!" Rae heard the referee announce.

_She's good, much better than I __thought_

Watching the ball go high in the air, she whacked it hard.

_But I'm not going down without a fight._

The ball sailed effortlessly across the court and landed just inside the service court. Linzt ran forward and hit it with a forward swing, sending it zooming back into Rae's court. Expecting it, Rae was already in the path of the ball. Suddenly shifting her grip to hold the racquet in the opposite direction, she swung her racquet and sliced the ball.

"Oh you think this will stump me? Hah–" Linzt stopped halfway. The ball landed and bounced past her face.

"Love – 15!"

"I'm not known as the Illusionist for nothing." Rae smirked. Walking back to the baseline, she prepared to serve once more.

The ball was in the air. She jumped. Shifting her body slightly, she held her racquet at a 45-degree angle.

"The Twist serve!"

Catching it neatly in the center of her racquet, Linzt sent it back with overwhelming force. Shifting her racquet grip once again, she sent the ball flying back. The ball then did the queerest thing: it neatly split itself into two different images. Both looked whole, and were zooming towards different directions. Linzt was caught in a dilemma once more. Lunging towards one, she swung her racquet hard – only to hit air. The hard bounce of the ball on the clay floor rang like a bell chiming her doom.

"Love – 30!"

"Guess again, " Rae said between pants. "First Illusionist is more than enough to beat you if you continue like this."

Back at the bench, Rae's coach was brimming with pride while laughing inwardly at the opponent's coach who had an extremely sour look.

"Yes," Her coach said to himself, punching the air. "That's the way! It's perfect, making of the ball's heavy spin caused by Linzt to enhance the spin you put on the ball. The more spin the ball gets, the faster they will vibrate between the two pathways. Good job!"

Now the opponent's coach was staring at Rae's own coach, who looked like he was mimicking a patient from the funny farm; or more commonly known as the asylum.

_The heavier your balls go, the more spin my ball gets. The more spin my ball gets, the more realistic my balls will be. Try and beat that._

"Game! Hirose, 2 games to 5!"

They changed sides. She noticed out of the corner of her eye, Linzt talking to her instructor. Taking a few sips of her water, she saw him telling Linzt something. Walking back to the court, she noticed something.

_There's something about her that's changed.__ What is it?_

Jumping high after the ball, Linzt whammed the ball. The ball zoomed into Rae's court, and before she could react, the ball had hit the ground and out of her reach.

"15 – Love!"

_I let my thoughts get a hold on me again. Great__What happened to that advice of 'Don't let your guard down'?_

Composing herself, she quickly slid forward the catch the ball, sending it back again with two different images. Linzt stared at them for a while, before running backwards and catching one of them. The ball was successfully sent back into Rae's court, only to go back into Linzt's with a drop shot – and stayed there.

"30 – Love!"

As the game progressed, Linzt was catching more and more of the balls. This caused Rae to furrow her eyebrows in worry.

_How is she able to guess accurately so many times? __Her instructor told her how? But that's not possible__…_

The sun shone strongly down on the court. Linzt brought her hand up to re-adjust her cap. Realization hit her.

_It's the shadow!_

"30-15!"

Examining her racquet, Linzt said smoothly, "Your balls are not that hard to intercept after all."

Not answering back, Rae walked back to her position. Her eyes shone with granite determination.

"She's preparing for a backhand. No illusions this time eh? No, wait – her feet are too wide apart to hit a normal backhand – it's not a backhand!" Linzt thought, horrified.

With her feet apart, Rae swung her racquet upwards. The ball was lobbed high into the air. Reaching the pinnacle of its height, it changed its course to accelerate downwards.

"One – no, two images…… Three!?" Linzt glanced downwards.

"They all have shadows!" Linzt was too shocked to react. The ball bounced harmlessly on the clay floor.

"The Second Illusionist – The Magician is on the court." Rae said, smiling broadly.

The game went downhill for Linzt after that.

"Game! Hirose, 7 games to 5!"

Linzt clutched her racquet and let out a long laugh. Both players walked forward and gripped each other's hands in a firm handshake and a half-hug.

"You were great out there. You were totally unfazed by The Trickster – I'm amazed!" Rae gushed with a child-like innocence.

"So First Illusionist is The Trickster eh? Fitting names," Linzt chuckled. "You are amazing too, using my spin to enhance yours. It's no wonder Lucia decided to recommend you for this tournament."

"You've seen her?" Rae asked with a tinge of excitement.

Pointing towards the spectator stands, Linzt said, "She's on the right, hidden inside the shadows. She's been watching since the game started."

Pushing her way past the spectators, she managed a hurried 'thank you' here and there to those who congratulated her. Lucia, clad in a pink hoodie and loose black pants, leaned against the wall and shot her a thumbs-up. Her bushy thick hair was tidily concealed under the pink hood. Her dark skin was a sharp contrast from Rae's pale, almost sickly complexion.

"Now that's a game well played! This means you progress to the next stage – competing with the finalists from the other countries of the European Union! I want to see how far you will go then." Lucia said heartily, her bright white teeth flashing in the sun.

"Lucia Hearth. Winner of the EU (4) junior circuit three consecutive times," Rae stopped as she was brought into a crushing bear hug. "It's been a long time since I last saw you."

"Of course, the organizers banned me from this because I was winning too many times I tell you," Lucia stuck her tongue out unhappily.

" Come on, you know it's because you hit nineteen years old last November. You are no longer considered a junior that's all." Rae replied amusedly, rolling her eyes in the process.

"So I brought them a surprise! If I can't win it, _you_ will win it for me!" Lucia continued as if Rae had not spoken, eyes gleaming with mockery and wickedness.

"Look, I didn't join this because of you. I'm not winning this because of you. I joined out of my own accord. I'm winning this for _myself_." Rae said exasperatedly, turning fierce like a cat in the face of danger.

"Hey, I only meant it as a joke –" Lucia tried to pacify her.

"It's not funny!" Rae took a deep breath. "Never mind, you don't understand." Rae steeled her face, and stormed away.

Lucia ran her hand through her hair. "Sheesh, touchy touchy."

* * *

Back in the privacy of her own room, she hugged herself and let her thoughts wander. 

She remembered herself, young and standing next to a window. Dejected over her first loss, frightened to her wits by the crazed look in her father's eyes. She shuddered as his enraged voice sounded in her head as clearly as she would hear him just next to her.

"You can't lose! You fight for me! If you lose, then how can I win!"

_No. I never fought for you__, not even once__. Even when I thought I did, even __when I was playing to please you;__ I never fought for you. _

Another image entered her mind. Calmness emanated from his stoic frame and features. Donned in a casual yellow shirt and long brown pants, he seemed to be looking straight into her soul. She started to feel at peace.

_Oh Tezuka. Where are you when I need you?_

fin.

Notes:

1. New York – a eatery providing a New York ambience and cuisine for dining

2. Fujiko-chan –Fuji's pet name. I used it to get a more personal feel.

3. Senpai – literally meaning 'senior'. I used it because it doesn't feel right to use 'senior' in that sentence.

4. EU – European Union. I made up this tourney myself.

Edited: 11/08/07

I wanted to put in more in this chapter, but it was getting too long for my comfort.

The entire plotline has been mapped out, so I will update faster. However, I am working on another fic and juggling schoolwork, so updates are not confirmed.

Any other ideas that don't go in will be written as companion fics. Feel free to give ideas. These fics might come out faster than the ending, so don't read if you don't want spoilers.

Please bear with me if my OC seems Mary Sue (unacceptable past, pretty looks, amazing skills I know), I'm putting a complex flaw in her that will only be manifested in later chapters.

Please bear with me if it's confusing.

Reviews would be helpful.


	5. Showdown

Disclaimer: PoT/TnO does not belong to me.

Warning: This chapter contains excessive use of the Japanese language. Translations are below.

2. Sugoi – loosely translated to amazing

3. Katsu no wa Hyotei, Makeru no Seigaku – The winner will be Hyotei, the loser will be Seigaku

4. Sho sha wa Atobe, Mae sha wa Tezuka – The winner will be Atobe, the loser will be Tezuka

5. Ore da – Me.

6. '—kun' and '—san' are honorifics.

7. Senpai – senior

8. Che – similar to 'tsk'

My apologies if there are any mistakes in the romaji, drop me a note and I will correct it.

Italics indicate thoughts.

* * *

The roaring Hyotei crowd could be heard several metres away. Wearing their outdoor uniforms, many cheered at the top of the lungs. The stands were filled with boys from the tennis club – it seemed that every single member of the 200-strong club had turned up to watch. Along the railings were bunch of boys who were unable to grab a seat, and flocks of girls which spilled over to Seigaku's allocated area with a large flashing black banner of 'Atobe-sama WE LOVE YOU' splashed across in bright yellow paint. 

Across the court you could see a scoreboard, with the scores clearly shown to reveal the progress of the matches.

_Doubles 2 – 6 games to 4, Seigaku won._

_Doubles 1 – 3 games to 6, Hyotei won._

_Singles 3 – Draw.__ (1)_

_Singles 2 – 6 games to 1, Seigaku won._

It was fifteen minutes before the next match started.

"Man, that banner of theirs sure is bright," Momoshiro stated. "It must be good to play in such an environment where everyone comes to support you."

"Getting cold feet?" Kaidoh growled.

"I'm not!" Momoshiro replied, agitated. "I think you are the one feeling scared."

"Oh yeah?!"

"Wanna fight?!"

"Stop it, you two!" Oishi cried, rushing in to intervene.

Shrieks came from the fan girls behind them; their banner had fallen on top of them like a massive blanket. Many turned to look at the commotion to see a girl brandishing a small scissors. She wore the same Hyotei uniform, only that she seemed to be in command.

She hollered, "The banner looks horrible! Moreover, it's blocking the view of the many spectators behind you, idiots!" Walking down the steps to join the Hyotei regulars, she muttered, "Bright yellow and black……what on earth were they thinking?"

"Bees, Yuna." Oshitari fingered his spectacles. Gakuto cracked up.

"Very funny." Yuna replied dryly, rolling her eyes.

"Indeed; you can see evidence of the humour from what Gakuto is currently doing." Oshitari countered smoothly. Gakuto started to clutch his abdomen from all that laughter.

"Fine!" Yuna conceded. Spying Tezuka out from the corner of her eye, she turned and ran towards his direction.

It was ten minutes before their match commenced.

* * *

"There's a girl running towards us," Fuji said. "She's from Hyotei." 

"A spy at this time of the day?" Eiji wondered out loud.

"Tezuka!" Yuna shouted. "I have a message for you from Rae. Interested?"

"Ah?" Tezuka bent his head slightly to look at Yuna in the eye.

"She wishes you good luck, and to take care," Yuna told him. "Although I don't see why you need to take care; she's the more troublesome one."

"Hn," Tezuka bowed his head politely. "Thank you for relaying the message."

"No, I thank you!" Yuna dismissed his thanks with a wave of her hand. "You cut my work for me when I was attached to her because she threw chalk at a Math teacher."

Tezuka raised an eyebrow.

"Find out the details yourself; I have to get back before Shishido kills me for 'talking to the enemy', or so he says," Yuna rolled her eyes.

"Hyotei will win!" Yuna added with a wave of her hand before running back to where she had originally sat.

_"… Throwing chalk at a teacher?" Tezuka thought disapprovingly._

Behind him, the other Regulars were having a conversation of their own.

"She knows Hirose, nya!" Eiji stared, goggle-eyed.

"Why didn't Hirose pass him the message by herself? Interesting…" Fuji mused.

"Who is she?" Momoshiro wondered out loud.

"Hirose is the girl whom we think," Eiji lowered his voice and continued, "is Tezuka's girlfriend nya!"

"Yuna's the vice-president of the student council; she's second in command after Atobe Keigo," Oishi paused to think carefully before continuing, "She was the one in charge during their school's annual fireworks celebration."

"She might have come to confuse Tezuka and make him lose concentration!" Eiji continued animatedly, his imagination running wild as he tugged Fuji's sleeve excitedly.

"So she's another scary one…" Momoshiro muttered.

It was five minutes before the match would begin.

* * *

"So what did you spill to the captain of Seigaku?" Shishido asked accusingly, not looking at her. 

"Is telling him that his girlfriend wishes him luck enough to convict me of a crime, Detective?" Yuna replied sarcastically.

Something clicked in Shishido's mind.

"HE has a GIRL – Ow!" Shishido just suffered a hard knock in his side.

"Not so loud you idiot!"

One minute left.

* * *

Tezuka strode onto the green court armed with his racquet. The crowd whispered his name in hushed voices, both out of respect and fear. Loud exclamations followed soon after. 

"Rokkaku!"

"Look! Yamabuki! "

"Even Rikkaidai Fuzoku's here!"

"Coaches from high schools and from the pro tennis circuit are here to watch too! Sugoi! (2)"

"Oi Tezuka! Your skills haven't deteriorated, have they?" Atobe declared, jabbing a finger at Tezuka's form on the opposite court.

As Atobe strolled onto the court, grins appeared on many of the Hyotei boys as they prepared for a major cheer routine. Atobe raised an arm. The crowd burst into noisy, organized cheer.

_Katsu no wa Hyotei! Makeru no Seigaku! (3)_

Atobe raised the other arm. The crowd raised its volume by a few more decibels.

_Sho sha wa__ Atobe! Mae__ sha wa__ Tezuka! __(4) __Sho sha__ wa – _

Atobe snapped his fingers. Upon hearing that signal, the crowd silenced. With a swing of his arm, he pulled off his jersey and threw it into the air.

"—Ore da. (5)" Atobe's eyes sparkled; like he had already won. The crowd was thrown into a frenzy of cheers screaming _Atobe!_ and _Hyotei!_.

"Is this enough?" Tezuka said as he walked up to the net to meet him.

"I'm satisfied." Atobe put out his fist to knock it against the back of Tezuka's.

Yuna was smug. Despite the fact that she always cringed at Atobe's ever-expanding ego, she marveled at how he was able to heighten their excitement to levels that she would never be able to attain with mere movements of his arms.

"Taki, get the cameras ready." Yuna ordered.

"I'm way ahead of you, Missy," Taki replied coolly, watching the two players deciding the first serve through the lens of the video camera mounted on a tripod.

"Now, let's see who the stronger one is."

Back at Seigaku's end, three first-years were agape in shock and scandalization.

"He's super flashy…"

"Inui-senpai (7), is this guy really good?" Horio asked indignantly.

"You'll understand when you watch him play." Inui replied while adjusting his spectacles. '_Indeed, the data collection today will be astounding…__,'thought Inui._

"The Singles one match between Hyotei Gakuen and Seigaku Gakuen will now begin. One-set match. Hyotei's Atobe to serve." The referee announced.

"It seems that this is the first meeting," Tezuka stated as he readied himself.

"Really? Weren't you the one avoiding me?" Atobe launched the ball into the air. Making a light jump, he sent the ball sailing towards the service court with a grunt.

Quickly intercepting the ball, Tezuka deftly caught it in the centre of his racquet and sent the yellow projectile back into Atobe's side of the court with a perfectly executed backhand.

Taking a few steps back, Atobe nimbly hit the ball, reversing its course. Tezuka changed the ball's course soon after, sending it straight for the other corner.

Atobe held the racket with both hands and sent the ball back into Tezuka's court.

Tezuka ran swiftly to the other corner of his court; only to see the ball crash into the net, breaking its momentum and started to fall. But before the ball could make contact with the ground, Tezuka had quickly intercepted its path.

Atobe appeared before his eyes, smirking. Tezuka raised his racquet in an attempt to stop the ball from zooming past his shoulder, but the ball insisted on having its way and forced Tezuka's racquet out of his hand.

"Fifteen – Love!"

The Seigaku regulars stared; a mix of shock and astonishment that their captain had lost the first point.

"Be awed by my prowess," Atobe declared arrogantly.

'Oh man,' Yuna groaned inwardly, though a surge of pride had risen when she saw that Atobe had gained the first point. "Pompous oaf."

"What's the matter Tezuka? You're not as fast as you were before," Atobe said with a hint of scorn.

"Nice drive volley," Tezuka commented.

"Why, thank you," Atobe lifted his arm and threw the ball high into the air once more. "Here's the next one!" And the ball went over with a bang.

* * *

"Tezuka sure is doing well," Gakuto said angrily. "Not only is he making Atobe move left and right, he pinpoints all the balls to the corners with exact precision." 

"Sure, you can't expect anything less from him, can you? But Atobe is equally good since he is returning all the balls easily; the perfect and complete all-rounder," Yuna huffed. "From the techniques that I've seen him display, he's a top-class player. There's no doubt about it." _Do you doubt him?_

"Yuna, you don't play tennis." Gakuto retorted.

"That doesn't mean I can't give critique," Yuna replied. "You do not need to play the piano to know who can play it well, do you?"

"ARGH!" Gakuto cried indignantly; he could never win when he argued with her. But still, he tried.

Oshitari wiped his glasses, sighing softly as he watched Gakuto fume sliently on how to fight back. Focusing his attention on Atobe, he knew that something was up. _Insight._

Atobe had placed his left between his eyes and above the bridge of his nose. His pupils dilated. Swinging his racquet at a wide angle, Tezuka sent the ball forward, right smack on the edge of the net.

"Che! (8)" Atobe muttered under his breath as he stretched to reach the ball. Tezuka had leapt into the air.

"He plans to use the same drive volley that Atobe used!"

"Captain is amazing!"

However, things did not turn out the way the first-years had expected – Atobe had caught the heavy ball in mid-air. With a shout, he swung it back towards Tezuka despite the ball's protests.

The rally continued.

For a moment – many moments in fact – it seemed that Atobe was in total control. But it wasn't the case at all.

"Tezuka's foot hasn't left that spot at all… Could it be?"

"Tezuka Zone!"

The loud thud of the ball on the hard court signaled the end of the rally.

"Fifteen – All!"

"You mean Atobe is being forced to return all the balls to Tezuka?" Gakuto stared disbelievingly.

"More like the ball has fallen so madly in love in Tezuka that Atobe can't control it," said Yuna, lying on the bench.

Oshitari and Gakuto stared at her in silence.

"Ok, I'll shut up." _Geez, I was just__ trying to ease the tension..._

Atobe let out a strident laugh.

"Not bad…" Atobe smirked. "With that arm of yours in such a state, your play is really not bad."

Murmurs ran through the crowd.

"Hmm? Your shoulder got injured, didn't it Tezuka?"

Tezuka stood in silence. Whether he was shocked or indifferent, no one could really tell.

"No! His elbow should have healed a long time ago!" Oishi voiced loudly.

"So, it's his elbow eh?"

Oishi stopped in his tracks. _Oops._

But the game did not stop with him. Play had resumed with Atobe and a powerful serve.

The remaining Regulars turned to Oishi expectantly.

* * *

"His shoulder fully healed two months ago. There shouldn't be any reason for it not to be healed." Oishi said in an attempt to assure. But his heart still weighed heavily with doubt. _Right?__ What if excess exertion caused a relapse? Or the build-up of all that training?_

"Look!"

Oishi was jolted out of his thoughts.

The yellow projectile skidded slightly on the court, before rolling back and hitting the net softly.

"Zero-shiki…"

"Game won by Seigaku, 1 game to love!"

Fuji grinned; Tezuka would not stand being undermined.

* * *

Everyone watched with bated breath. Their eyes followed the invisible path the ball crafted as it sailed from one racquet to another; only stopping when it crash-landed on the net. 

"Game won by Seigaku, 3 games to 2!"

Oshitari watched Atobe through his glasses; he still had that confident and devious air around him while he conversed with Sakaki. He had never thought for a moment that Atobe would lose, but when that thought had flitted into his mind and vanished as quickly as it came, he wasn't so sure. He glanced at the other regulars; and hoped that the fear he was feeling came from somewhere beyond himself.

* * *

"Tezuka's so stupid! He hit a lob!" Kirihara shouted amusedly. 

"That killer smash of his soon appear soon…" Yanagi watched expectantly through half-lidded eyes.

However, the move never came.

Sanada noticed the slight upward curve of Atobe's lips.

Fuji noticed that Atobe was no longer aiming for the corners.

Oblivious to one another, both arrived at the same conclusion.

_Atobe's stalling__ the match__; he plans to ruin Tezuka's shoulder…_

"That shoulder of yours," Atobe thought as his racquet kissed the ball. "Will it withstand long hours of competition? At the very most, it can only last you another hour!"

**He had o****ne hour.**

But he had no intention of ending it early, neither one of them.

"Tezuka is an outstanding man." Oshitari said solemnly.

"I hate his guts." Yuna spat out as she watched Tezuka hit a lob. _He's uncannily similar to Atobe.__ Both just hate to lose and are such attention-grabbers._

* * *

"How dare he challenge Atobe-sama like that!" Some tennis-playing fan girls cried indignantly. 

"Atobe will still win, he's way better than him!"

"Shut up, will you!" Yuna flared at them, anxiety overcoming her senses. "Can't you guys just watch a match quietly?!" The fan girls settled down into reluctant silence. Yuna twisted the ends of her hair frustratedly. Atobe was the most scheming person she knew. Yet, there was someone who was even better, and she refused to admit it. _Come __on,__ show him that you're better!_

It would be a lie to say that Atobe was not appalled. Shock and contempt was written all over his features.

Tezuka was all ready to endure a long match.

Fuji stared in awe at Tezuka through azure orbs. You are in pain, yet you take it with no complaint. _How much__ have you__ sacrificed, and __what more are you__ willing to sacrifice__? Why is victory so important__? Is it worth it?_

Behind him, the blue and white Seigaku flag whipped about in the wind.

_Would I be able to__ hold on steadfast to something like__ what __you have __done?_

* * *

His face was pain-ridden. Tezuka strived on with steadfast determination in his eyes despite the agony. Supporters screamed their lungs out for both parties; onlookers watched on, mesmerized; reporters kept a steady flow of taking pictures as Tezuka performed miracle after miracle. 

"Tezuka Zone!"

"Zero-shiki!"

_'You can't lose, not here, not now!' Yuna cried in her heart._

The ball had failed its duty. Instead of rolling back towards the net, it bounced upwards, giving Atobe a chance to return it. The ball sailed to Tezuka's court.

Yuna willed with all her might for the ball to suddenly die on him. The ball collided with the net with a thud.

"Game! Hyotei's Atobe, 7 games to 6!"

**He had one hour. **

**He lasted two hours and seven minutes.**

* * *

"Good job, Monkey King." Yuna praised. _You scared me back there._

"Hn? No more 'pompous oaf'?" Atobe said between pants, draping a towel over his head.

"Well, I was getting bored of it," Yuna flipped her hair arrogantly. "Besides, I can't possibly let you think that I've run out of nicknames for you right?"

"Hmph," Atobe scoffed. "Fence with me tonight."

Yuna deadpanned. The last time they fenced together after a grueling tennis match, the whole thing lasted four long excruciating hours that left her with aches and pains for the next two days.

_Tezuka __Kunimitsu.__ No matter what praise Rae sings about you,__ I officially hate you._

fin.

Notes:

Both players were disqualified, I'm not sure if it's still considered a draw.

Edited: 03/08/07

It's an important chapter to continue the story, hope you enjoyed the tennis element in this chapter as well.

My apologies for leaving out many parts; I hope I portrayed it well enough.

For those who are curious, more information can be found on Yuna on other fics. Rae is not in this chapter as she is in France.

Reviews will be helpful.


	6. Chance

Disclaimer: PoT does not belong to me.

_Italics _mostly refer to thoughts.

* * *

The afternoon sun shone brightly down at the streets of Tokyo. Tezuka strode casually down the streets towards the library, ignoring the dreamy glances of girls whom he passed. Though used to it, he could not fathom why they would turn beetroot red and start pointing excitedly at him. Women are a strange species, his grandfather used to tell him. Tezuka couldn't agree more. 

He turned on his heel, out of the busy streets and skyscrapers to face a park. The clean white-washed walls of the library occasionally came into view from between the gaps in the trees. One moment you could see the walls quite clearly; the next moment they would dart behind their green shields and disappear from view. Armed with a few novels that he had borrowed a week ago, he made a beeline for the book deposit where he could return them. The cool crisp wind played with the strands of his hair as he walked through the automatic glass doors.

"Ah, Tezuka-kun! It's nice to see you here again," a voice piped up cheerfully beside him. Tezuka stopped in his tracks and turned to nod politely at the woman who had spoken; the head librarian was a plump lady with a rosy face. She peered at the books in his hand through her thick-rimmed spectacles carefully balanced on the bridge of the nose.

"You're here to return them?" she questioned, before heaving a sigh. "I would really miss your help around here, especially since the holidays are coming and students would be borrowing more books than ever. First it was Takuya, then Rae, and now you are leaving too! I need to recruit more youngsters to help in shelving…" Her voice dropped to a soft mutter as she shook her head and pushed the graying strands of hair behind her ears.

"Are you forgetting about me Hoshiya-san?" A voice whined.

"Oh no I haven't, Abe! I'm just losing too many young ones. Besides, you're not as efficient as Rae or Takuya was. Get back to work, mister!" The head librarian rapped out.

Grumbling under his breath about favouritism, Abe grudgingly pushed the trolley piled high with books towards the Children's section. After acknowledging Abe's presence with a curt nod, Tezuka lightly reminded the chubby lady that he would only be gone for a few months and that Rae would be back as well.

"Really? That's good! I miss that girl; she's an interesting one," the head librarian laughed gaily. "Now run along sonny, go return those books!" Tezuka's gaze followed the short woman as she marched towards the Children's section. When she disappeared behind one of the tall bookshelves, he turned towards the book deposit.

"An interesting one," he repeated those words in his head. Indeed she was. The impressions she left were deep, though not always favourable. The first time he had seen her in the library, she had reminded him at least sixteen times within a time frame of two hours that the Literature book he was handling was very old and very fragile. She reminded him so many times that Tezuka was _almost_ sure that the pages would crumble between his fingers if he just added a little more pressure. Not to mention that she had accused him of murder. He was only placing a heavy book teeming with silverfish back into its rightful place right at the top of the bookshelf. The book had slipped out of his hands, and crash landed right in front of her, narrowly missing her nose. It was not his fault that she was there; it was coincidental.

Pushing the last book into the chute, he turned around and started to plod his way home. He still had a lot of packing to do. Two days was not a lot of time when he had a pile of assignments to complete before he left.

* * *

Tezuka remembered the airport. The hustle and bustle had not decreased in any way. It was not too long ago, when he had sent someone off on her way. This time, he was not the one sending off, but the one being sent off to begin a new journey. 

"We'll miss you nya!" Eiji bounced happily, one arm around Oishi's shoulders.

"I saw on the news that there are a lot of pickpockets in Germany recently, so keep a careful watch on your money Tezuka. Did you remember to bring all those daily necessities? And water? And enough clothes?" Oishi continued on and on, fussing about Tezuka despite knowing that he was one of the most reliable Regulars around. Tezuka however, did not stop Oishi, for he knew that was how Oishi showed concern and care for a friend. _I would not be able to hear this __for the next__ few months._

"Take pretty pictures for me, I heard that the architecture there is beautiful." Fuji smiled sadly, for a great leader and companion was leaving.

"Where is Echizen?" Kawamura inquired meekly.

"Momo-chan and Kaidoh isn't here either nya!" Eiji pouted unhappily. "Where are they? They were supposed to be here an hour ago! Now Tezuka's going to board the plane and they can't say their goodbyes to him!"

"Erm…perhaps they are neck-deep in training," Oishi coughed nervously. He was most probably the cause of their absence; he had compared them with Tezuka right under their noses, and they would most likely be furiously training to improve. "Shouldn't you be entering the gates now Tezuka?"

"Hn." With a curt nod, Tezuka bent his knees to pick up his hand luggage. With a bow, he responded in a low baritone, "Don't let your guard down."

The third-years laughed heartily. _When will we hear him say this again?_

The Regulars watched his plane take off from behind the large glass panes, a determined look on each and every face.

_We won't let you down. _

"Ah!" Eiji exclaimed. The other Regulars turned to him confusedly.

"We forgot to ask him about his girlfriend nya!"

* * *

At the other end of the globe, Rae was in inner turmoil. Fighting a war with your mind was tough. She was so distraught that she swore that there was a tiny voice in her head crooning, "Just give in, just give in!" 

"Who cares what _x_ and _y_ is!" Rae huffed in annoyance, throwing her hands up in defeat. She slammed the exercise book shut and threw her pencil into the pencil holder.

_I need __him__ to teach me.__But he isn't here._

Rae was annoyed that Tezuka wasn't here to tutor her. They were on two ends of the globe, her mind reminded her. But her emotions took over as she was filled with immense feelings of helplessness and loneliness. Rae was feeling quite anxious; she had not received an email from him about his trip to Germany yet. She had only received the news through Yuna, and threw a tantrum by not replying his email two weeks ago. There was no direct contact from Tezuka since; Rae was getting worried. She had told herself constantly that Tezuka would never betray her unless he was crazy, demented and had a death wish. However, discouraging scenes kept streaming in from her over-active imagination. Shaking her head in an attempt to clear her mind, Rae picked up the tattered envelope on the table.

_I might see him again._

Opening it for the umpteenth time, she fingered the plane ticket with much satisfaction. She put back the plane ticket carefully, afraid to make even the smallest crease on it. That little piece of paper would take her to the next destination where the Second Qualifier of the EU tournament was to be held.

_Germany._

fin.

Notes:

This follows the anime, where Tezuka goes to Germany for treatment.

Abe is just some random guy.

Egoism is in the blood of all students in Hyotei.

Reviews would be helpful.


	7. Headlights

Disclaimer: PoT does not belong to me.

Thank you to all who reviewed!

Beta: **mysticLegend11**

Enjoy.

* * *

Carefully wrapping the figurine Tezuka just purchased, the cashier exclaimed cheerily, "Thank you so much, sir! I'm sure the lady will love it!"

Tezuka held out a large palm to receive the package. He fingered the oval package as the brown paper crinkled under his fingers.

_Three o' clock, outside Madame __Café__. I can't wait. Love, Rae. _

Tezuka looked down at the little package in his hand. The small figurine he had purchased was an eagle with its wings held close to its body, ready to soar and take flight. Three days ago, he had sent her an email telling her that he was in Germany for rehabilitation and why his shoulder was in such a condition. When she replied with this short and sweet message, he knew she had somewhat forgiven him for three weeks of no contact. He himself could not help but feel a small rush of anticipation as the time neared. Placing the gift carefully into his pocket, he recalled a conversation he had with Rae when they were still in Japan.

_An eagle doesn't learn to fly easily. It gets pushed down __by its mother __from its nest __on__ a high __ledge__. Throughout its fall, it __is pushed__ towards the mountain wall by the wind. It __hits__ the wall again and again. And yet, it is too scared to spread its wings and glide. Did you know? The eagle only learns to fly when it is __l__ess than__ five__metres__ from the ground. The eagle only learns to trust the invisible world after so long. _

Tezuka knew that she was talking about her own disability to trust and her rejection towards change.

_But once they learn to fly, they soar and finally do what they were predestined to do. They__ d__on't stay in their comfort zone forever._

That was his reply. Rae understood. Shortly after, Rae had packed and left for France to fulfill her dreams.

"Sir?" Tezuka was jolted out of his thoughts.

"Are you interested in buying anything else?"

Giving the sales lady a polite shake of his head, he turned on his heel. He needed to find his trainer. She was probably somewhere drowning her sorrows with alcohol, he thought disapprovingly.

_I must not let my guard down_, Tezuka reproached himself. He was starting to become a little dreamy these days. Perhaps jet lag was taking its toll.

* * *

Rae ignored the stares she received from the pedestrians whom she passed. She had a perfectly understandable reason as to why she was smiling to herself. She just did not want to tell everyone on the street that she was finally meeting her boyfriend after four months of being on opposite ends of the world.

"Wipe that smile of your face; you look absolutely goofy," a mellow voice said from her right.

"What?" Rae immediately used her hands to smoothen her plaid dress. "I look stupid in this?" She pointed at herself, running towards a shop window and inspected her hair. Dressed in a red and black checkered dress, she looked simple. No one except her knew that she had spent a long two hours just to decide on what to _wear_. Seriously, how love changes a person.

The boy mentally smacked himself.

"No, just stop smiling; it's freaky. Man, I've never seen you _this_ excited before."

"But Lucas, he's coming!" Rae almost jumped for joy.

Lucas stared wide-eyed at her, incredulous.

"Okay, I absolutely _have_ to see this guy. I want to know what he has done to the Rae who doesn't give a damn about how she looks."

Rae was affronted.

"I'm a girl too."

"Yeah, the most evil one of them all… Hey, why did you suddenly stop walking?" Lucas questioned. He looked in the same direction of her gaze. He saw, across the flowing crowd of moving people, a drunken lady and a stoic man seated together at a glossy wooden table. The woman was holding a bottle of beer, was flipping her long red hair at the disapproving young man. Looking back at Rae, he saw that she was quite dazed. Lucas pieced the bits and pieces together.

"So…that guy over there must be Tezuka, right?" Lucas nudged her teasingly.

Rae did not budge an inch.

"Aren't you supposed to be like, running across the road and hugging him right now?" Lucas lifted his arm to glance at an imaginary watch.

Her cheeks still flushed, Rae screamed silently. _No, this was not how it was supposed to happen!_

"Who's she?" She thought aloud rather spitefully.

"Some new acquaintance he's made in Germany perhaps?" Lucas continued gleefully.

Rae pouted, feeling highly uncomfortable as jealously bubbled within her.

"Ah, do I see a tinge of green there?" Lucas poked her cheek.

"Shut up." Brushing his cheeky finger away, she continued down the knobbly street with her well-padded boots with Lucas following behind her.

* * *

Hannah moaned. Her head lolled to one side as she banged the table with the empty glass bottle. Her forehead made contact with the shiny wooden surface; she moved no more.

"I have told you that drinking was bad for health." Tezuka said disapprovingly, slinging his trainer's arm over his neck and across his broad shoulders. Helping the drunken lady get back on to her feet, he looked up to see the bar man, waiting patiently. Tezuka dug deep into his pocket, looking for his wallet.

"You can leave with her; I will put it on her tab." The old man said kindly.

Breathing an inaudible sign of relief (he did not think he had enough), he nodded politely and proceeded to carry his trainer back to the rehabilitation centre. When he managed to steady Hannah on her jelly-like legs, he tried to guide her to move with him. Hannah's head jerked upwards, and her stomach ejected everything that had entered during that drinking spree. The bottom of his denim pants were now soaked in half-digested beer.

Tezuka frowned. He needed to change.

* * *

Covering the hesitation in her voice, she piped up, "Do you think he looks like the kind who would get another girlfriend behind my back?"

"Well, he looks like one who has girls clinging onto his every word…I can imagine the trails of fan girls behind him…" Lucas rubbed his chin as if he was in deep thought.

"You're not helping."

Lucas ran a hand through his blond hair with a hint of exasperation. How many times have they gone through this?

"Look, she's too old to be his girlfriend! And she doesn't seem to be all over him does she? And he seems pretty loyal; he emails you often right? So don't worry!"

"Yeah. I guess." She replied rather sullenly.

Lucas racked his brain for ideas. His sister would kill him if she saw a downcast Rae with him; she always accused him of bullying the girl. What he couldn't understand was that she would rather believe Rae than him! However, he had little choice but to comply, a happy Rae usually meant a shorter bill.

Lucas bumped into her again. _Why is she stopping again?_

She picked a figurine off the shelf belonging to one of the mini stalls on the street. She turned it over and over, feeling the cold smooth porcelain on her fingertips. She felt her cheeks grow warm as she thought of Tezuka's silent encouragements during her dilemma.

"Good, you should get him a gift. That might make him like you more!" Lucas ducked, her free hand narrowly missing his nose.

The sales lady swiftly wrapped up the purchase. The second one today, she thought happily to herself. Rae glanced at her watch, the second hand slowly ticking away.

"You have exactly three minutes and twenty-two seconds to get to Dior on the opposite end of the street," Rae stated matter-of-factly. "Lucia will hand you a large bill to pay if you were even a fraction of a second late."

Lucas smacked his head. Bidding a quick good-bye, he rushed off down the street, squeezing between the pedestrians and leaving a trail of wispy smoke behind him. Rae smiled. Lucia was a shopaholic who would only stop if Lucas was there. He was most effective in getting her to stop, especially since he was the one paying. Being her brother was definitely expensive.

Rae's thoughts backtracked to Tezuka once more. Standing on her toes to catch sight of the table that Lucas had pointed out, she strained to see a wizened bar man cleaning the glossy surface and holding up the empty beer bottle in his hand. They were gone.

* * *

Tezuka did not have much time to contemplate about what he had seen earlier; he was more concerned about getting Hannah back to her room at that point of time. Now that his trainer was sleeping soundly in her bed, Tezuka's thoughts drifted back to Rae's smiles and the blonde boy. An uncomfortable feeling arising from his chest gnawed at him. The way the boy smiled and teased Rae, the way Rae's cheeks flushed from embarrassment and playfulness, he felt seriously invaded. He had unconsciously jolted out from his seat when he saw the blonde poke her cheek. His legs would have moved him to Rae's side in an instant if his brain did not clamp down on the notion using logical reasoning. Not to mention the fact that his trainer had chosen that perfect moment to moan sickly and flop dead on the table.

He glanced at the round clock hanging from the white-washed walls of her room.

4:15.

Tezuka rubbed his temples. This was _not_ good.

He slipped his phone open and dialed a number.

"Hello?" An agitated voice was heard.

"Tezuka here."

"…"

A click followed and the line was dead. Tezuka sighed. _Perhaps she might cool off after a while_, he told himself apprehensively.

* * *

Rae bit her lip. Blinking back the tears that threatened to fall, she threw the small wrapped-up package into the nearest rubbish bin. She stomped away angrily, making her way back to her hotel.

_If he doesn't __want to come__, so be it._

The petite package had split open from her strength. Looking closer, it revealed a winged creature, wings held close to its body. Cracked, broken beyond repair. The eagle had hit the ground before it could spread its wings to soar.

fin.

Notes:

Hannah is Tezuka's trainer in Germany.

Reviews would be helpful.


	8. Finale

Disclaimer: PoT does not belong to me.

A big thank you to all who reviewed!

Special mention to my beta, who graciously wrote me an ending.

Enjoy.

Beta: **mysticLegend11**

* * *

Her mobile rang incessantly on the table. Rae stretched her hand over to the bedside table and felt for the vibrating object. 

"Hello?" She answered groggily.

"Hey! I just received news that you lost in the semi-finals. But being third isn't too bad, right?" Yuna's voice came cheerily through the receiver.

"…"

A beep, and Rae ended the call. Throwing the phone back on the table, she dived under into the covers.

_Does she__ even__ know what time it is here?__ Or maybe she just wants to rub the loss in. __Or… __Whatever._

The phone rang again. Rae pulled the covers around her tighter, trying to shut out the sound. Her patience at its limit, she threw the covers off.

_I should have turned it off. _

"What?" Rae answered irritably.

"I just wanted to tell you that you're booked to fly back in three days! And you just hanged up on me! Do you know how much trouble it will be if you miss your flight?" Yuna spoke back, equally annoyed.

"Don't know, don't care."

Rae switched off her mobile. Three days. She was leaving Germany in three days.

Leaving Tezuka in three days.

_Who cares about him! _

Rae slipped under the covers and attempted to go back into deep slumber. Ten minutes later, she was still wide awake, with Tezuka weighing heavily on her mind.

_Damn. It's all Yuna's fault._

* * *

Rae stood tentatively in front of Tezuka's room. She had a free day today, and decided to find Tezuka so she could talk to him face to face. Not only would that prevent her from hanging up on him, she could put an end to the visions of her overly-active imagination. 

_I should ask him. _

She raised her fist to knock.

_But what if he's not there? _

The fist went down.

_Then I'll come back later._

She gripped the doorknob.

_What if he's angry?_

She let go.

_I'm getting nowhere._

"Eh? Who is this standing outside Kunimitsu's room?" The door to his room opened, and a sweet voice sounded with much surprise.

Though it was common to call a person by first name in western communities, Rae frowned at the word 'Kunimitsu'. Not even she had been able to call him that, let alone some western lady whom he had probably known for a month.

"I'm looking for Tezuka, is he here?" Rae took a close look at the lady and gave a small gasp.

_The drunken woman! _

"Yupp, he's right inside," Hannah gestured towards the inside of the room. "Go on in."

Rae stepped past her into the room. Azure curtains were the first thing that caught her eye. Giving the quaint and peaceful room a sideways glance, she saw the walls painted in ocean blue.

Shuffling sounds of a chair moving backwards caught her attention. Tezuka had stood up, eyes widened slightly in surprise. Rae had come unexpectedly, after all.

"Good morning," Tezuka stated, and gestured towards the bed. "Sit down."

Rae sat down. The bed was comfortable. Awkward silence set in.

"Who is she?"

"Hn?"

"That woman just now, who is she?" Rae pressed on a little urgently.

"She's Hannah, my trainer."

_His trainer._ Rae breathed out, sighing inwardly in relief. _So it was nothing after all._

"Where were you that day?"

"I had to help Hannah; she was drunk."

"You could have called." Rae pouted.

"I tried; you ignored even my morning calls."

Rae looked down guiltily. _That was because I thought you were seeing someone else. __But, c__alling me one hour after you should have been there isn't exactly forgivable either._

Rae knew that they were both waiting for the same thing. But she was infinitely not going to be the first.

"It's not my fault."

"Then is it mine?" Tezuka voice's was steely and restrained.

"You didn't call me on time." Rae gripped her sleeve.

"You were thinking too much." Tezuka pushed his spectacles upwards.

"You –"

_Bang._ Tezuka's palm had landed hard on the table, cutting Rae off. A spark of anger flickered in his eyes.

"I have to pick up my team-mates now. We'll talk later."

"Fine, whatever." Rae huffed, stomping out of the room. The door shut with a bang.

Tezuka rubbed his temples, sighing inwardly. _She's being unreasonable_

* * *

Going to Germany was a trip filled with much anticipation. Successfully warding off any suspicions about the capital (the school had never been generous), Ryuusaki had their minds focused on the blue skies and Tezuka. Ryuusaki had expected a journey filled to the brim with noise and excited chatter, and therefore took a sleeping pill, successfully shutting out all queries of an overly-anxious Oishi (what if the plane crashes?) and an overly-excited Eiji (do you think the cloud there looks like Teddy?). 

After presenting the tournament medal to Tezuka, the Regulars went on a tour while Ryuusaki retired to her room. They have interesting architecture, Oishi had thought at the start of the tour. The rest of it was spent worrying about the members that had gone missing during the journey. Luckily, they managed to meet up at a local tennis court, where they were introduced to Hannah, Tezuka's trainer. Not only did Echizen get to display his physics-defying tennis skills, Hannah was also persuaded into pursuing tennis once more.

"We should go celebrate, shouldn't we?" Oishi said happily, turning towards Tezuka to receive approval. He was still the official captain after all.

Tezuka didn't respond, his attention taken away by something else. Or more specifically, Tezuka was staring at a certain someone. His brows furrowed together in slight morose. Hannah looked in his direction and smirked.

"It's the _girl_," she drawled. "She's going to get hurt if she continues that reckless hitting."

Everybody's ears perked up. "GIRL?"

"She walked past the bus pretty fast just now." Kawamura piped up.

"Fujiko (1)! She's the neo print girl!"

Fuji glanced at Tezuka while fending off the overly excited Eiji; he was already advancing towards the panting girl.

* * *

_Pok. Pok. Pok._ The tennis ball was being mercilessly smacked against the concrete wall. Rae gritted her teeth in frustration. _Why should I be the __one __apologizing first?_

"You should stop." Tezuka approached with a tone in finality in his voice.

"Tezu —Ouch!" Rae winced loudly. The racket fell to the floor, clattering.

The Regulars were shocked; was Tezuka being rough?

Tezuka loosened his grip on her right wrist. Inspecting it, he found that it had swollen slightly. He shook his head disapprovingly.

"You've let your guard down."

Rae shifted her gaze away, defeated.

"We should get that put in ice and bandaged before it gets worse." Oishi muttered anxiously, silently reprimanding himself for not bringing a first-aid kit out.

"I will bring her to the rehabilitation centre to get bandaged." Tezuka cut in, picking up the racket on the floor. "Hannah, will you continue to show them around for me?"

Hannah nodded in response. "You owe me one."

"Ii data…" Inui scribbled furiously in his notebook, muttering incoherently.

"Mada mada dane." Echizen smirked, sipping his Ponta.

Fuji watched the retreating figures intently, contemplating.

"Fuji, we should go. The rest will leave without us if we don't move now." Kawamura placed a firm hand on his shoulder, drawing Fuji out of his thoughts. Hannah and the remaining Regulars were already disappearing from view.

"Right."

"Change the bandage every two to three days, and try not to use it often." Tezuka said, almost in a commanding tone. Rae's wrist was wrapped safely in white gauze. His gaze lingered on her slender fingers.

Rae, with her head lowered, bit her lip. Past events played in her head; she knew if she didn't give in, things would remain as such. Bittersweet, restrained.

Tezuka turned abruptly to leave, but felt a small tug on his sleeve.

"Stay." _I'm sorry._

A sudden flurry of movement, and Rae was pulled into a loving embrace. She shut her eyes and savoured the familiar feeling of warmth and security. This was somewhat fortunate for Tezuka; she would never be able to see the blush on his face. When she finally creaked open her eyes, she was only in time to see a ghost of his smile.

"Will you watch me at the Nationals?" Tezuka let one hand slide gently down her back to rest at her waist.

Rae smiled, and planted a small kiss on his lips.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."

* * *

Now that Oishi had seen what Tezuka had been up to the last few months, he felt a sense of contentment and pride. Needless to say, their captain was doing more than his best, and as vice-captain, Oishi felt the same pressure on his shoulders. 

_Tezuka has also had the experience of feeling like a mom._

It was a refreshing change to see him taking care of someone and vice versa. He was utmost glad that he was in the best of hands, but he could still see the glint of loneliness and longing in Tezuka's eyes. Oishi couldn't help wondering why.

_Is it tennis, or is it something more?_

As the plane rose higher off the myriad of people and buildings, he felt a sense of serenity settle inside him. His curiosity was piqued once again as he observed a skinny, pale-skinned girl doze in the back of the plane.

_I guess we'll never be sure._

**f****in.**

Notes:

1. Fujiko – Fuji's pet name

2. Yuna can be found in Chapter 5, _Do You Get It_ and _Ruffled_.

Reviews would be helpful.


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